


When Love Isn’t Real

by jkkitty



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-19 23:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5984041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jkkitty/pseuds/jkkitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>2016 valentine's day challenge gift. jantojones  In Live Journal Scrapbook</p><p>Prompt:    I would like a TV based story please, gen, gen_mature or het. I love angst and I like dark.    A special thanks to Sparky for her beta work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Love Isn’t Real

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jantojones](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=jantojones).



  


                                         

 

When Love Isn’t Real   

Illya looked at Napoleon, laying in medical, as the doctor attached more machines to the American than he had ever seen before.  He had warned his partner many times that his fascination with the fairer sex would be the death of him.  He sighed, this time it wasn’t Napoleon’s fault as he had truly fallen in love and even considered taking a desk job to marry the woman.

Heading toward his lab and the rose that was waiting for him to analyze it, Illya thought of how it all had happened.

…..

Napoleon entered the office, whistling and grinning like a lunatic.

“Good week off, I take it.”   Illya hissed.  “The files are all ready for your signature.   It took me all week to get them done.”

“Wonderful.   I met the most beautiful, lovely, and charming lady named Suzanne.”

Illya rolled his eyes, “I am sure she is all you are saying.  Is she a member of Thrush or some other evil organization?”   He had retorted back, used to this type of situation involving Napoleon.

Sitting in the chair next to Illya desk, his voice became softer as he spoke about her.  “No, really Illya, she is special.   I believe I’m falling for her.”

“Oh and pray tell me where you met this wonderful creature.”  Illya had to admit that he was still angry that once more he had to do most of the paperwork.

Napoleon ignored the tone and seemed to disappear into the memory of the day they met.  “I was going to the corner in a rush of course and didn’t see her.   I crashed into her causing her to spill groceries all over the sidewalk.   As I helped her pick them up, she smiled at me. Oh Illya, what a smile. It made my heart do a flip-flop.”

A smile appeared on Napoleon's faces as he continued.  “She let me help her to her apartment, and then invited me in for coffee.”

“And then you made mad love, and now you are in love.   I get it.  Did you check her out?”   Illya shook his head in frustration.

Coming out of a dream state, Napoleon said.  “What?  No we didn’t make out.  We spent the afternoon talking and then I took her out to dinner.  Afterward, a small kiss at the door and that was all.”

“Did you check her out?”   Illya repeated, a little more forcefully.

“I didn’t see a reason.  We just went out on a date.  Illya, it was no big thing.”

“It sounds like it is a big thing to me.”

“Okay, so we saw one another a few other times this week.   I’ll check her out today. Is that good enough for you?”  Napoleon’s answer was sprinkled with annoyance.

“You know it is policy.  I am just trying to look out for you.   We are all caught up on the paperwork for last month. What do you want to do today?”   Illya had asked.  Then Napoleon surprised him.

“I’d like you to join Susanne and me for dinner tonight.”

“I do not do blind dates, and you know it.”

“You have me wrong.   I want you to meet Suzanne and see her for yourself.  Illya, I really like her.”

……..

The dinner was pleasant, and Illya had found Suzanne everything Napoleon had said. But his inner sense was tingling although he didn’t know why.

After dinner, Illya had decided to check into her himself.   Everything had come up negative.   She was just what Napoleon had said, an innocent woman.

As the weeks followed, between cases Napoleon had spent every spare moment with Suzanne and always seemed tired.   Around headquarters, Illya, as well as the women, noticed his flirting had decreased, and he seemed always to be smiling and daydreaming.  However, in the field, his performance never wavered.

Worried, Illya tried to talk to Napoleon about the tiredness only to get smiles and a wink.  Then came the day when Napoleon had dropped his bomb.

“Illya, can I speak to you for a few minutes,”   Napoleon had said as he came into the office.

“Since when do you ask?”

“This is serious.  I need to get your opinion.”

Illya felt something in the pit of his stomach.   He knew it was about Suzanne and that the feeling of concern was still there even with the clear security check.

 “Go ahead, you have my complete attention.”

“I’m thinking of asking to be released from the field and apply for a desk job,” Napoleon explained seriously.   “How do you feel about it?  I mean, you would need a new partner.”

“My feelings are neither here or there.  Have you thought about this?  I am sorry but I cannot see you working behind a desk. After all, you would have to do your own paperwork.”  Illya tried to lighten the mood.

Napoleon said nothing for a moment then looked over on Illya’s desk and saw Suzanne’s file.

“You checked her out.   How dare you?”  He shouted.

He felt that this was wrong for his partner, but he couldn’t let his feelings influence his answer.  “I was only trying to protect you.  Napoleon, you know do not need my approval, but I think you need to think this through.   You have only known her for a month.  Is that enough time to change your whole life?”

“I know you don’t like her, but you could at least be happy for me,” Napoleon snapped as he stormed out of the room stopping only to say, “I’m off tomorrow.  Suzanne and I are celebrating Valentine’s Day.”

……

On Valentine’s morning, Napoleon picked Suzanne up and took her for a ride in the country, then for lunch at a little restaurant overlooking a lake.   They had laughed and talked about dreams and life in general.  After lunch, Napoleon had dropped her off to get ready for their night out.

Napoleon arrived at Suzanne’s apartment dressed in a fitted charcoal suit, light gray shirt and charcoal tie.   He had borrowed a convertible from the motor pool and had a private dining room reserved at the 21 Club.  He touched his pocket that held the ring that he hoped she would accept tonight.

Suzanne answered the door causing Napoleon’s breath to catch.   Her brunette hair cascaded loosely down her shoulders.  The highlights in her hair accented her perfect face.   Her eyes were accented with smoke and were deep and a rich brown.  Her lips were lightly touched with lipstick.  Her emerald chiffon A-lined dress was floor length, with spaghetti straps and a V-neck.  It hugged every curve of her body.

“Wow, are you sure you want to be seen with me?”  Napoleon teased as he took her in.

Suzanne smiled, holding the door open for him.   As he entered the room, he had eyes only for her and didn’t notice the shadow behind the door.  Only a second before he turned did he realize someone was hiding behind it but to late as he was struck on the time and knocked unconscious.    
 …..

 …..

It was late Valentine’s night when Illya’s apartment phone rang.   He had jumped at the sound as it was very unusual and he almost didn’t answer it thinking it was a salesman but something urged him to pick it up.   Heavy, painful breathing was all that could be heard and then two words were whispered.  “Illya help.”

“Napoleon?   Where are you?”

“Unsure,” came another whisper.

“Do not hang up.   I will have them trace you.  How bad are you?”

“Hurry…..” was the only sound that could be heard before the breathing became more erratic.

Notifying headquarters, Illya had been out the door and waiting in the car for directions.  As he had driven wildly through the night, he could only worry about his partner as he had no way of hearing him.

Illya arrived at an abandoned five-story warehouse right before the rest of his men did.  Assigning the men to their positions took only a few minutes but even that seemed to an eternity. He felt Napoleon didn’t have much time.

Searching each floor took forever.   Unable to call out because they were unsure as to who could be waiting for them, they needed to do this slowly.    Many of the doors were locked and needed to be picked not to give their location away.

On the middle floor locked in a room, they found the CEA chained with a heavy linked chain.  A blood red rose dripping black fluid was lying next to him. His ankle was bleeding freely where the chain had cut it when he had dragged it to get the phone that was in his unconscious hand.  His breathing was very slow.   Illya quickly checked his pulse to find it in the forties.

“Where is the helicopter?   He needs help now.”  Illya yelled.

One of the men let him know it was on the roof, and ready to go.   Illya and another agent lifted Napoleon and carried him up the stairs.   Climbing aboard the copter with his partner, Illya held his hand while the rose wrapped in his suit jacket was next to him.    As they took off, bullets began to fly toward them.

Raising high enough to avoid them, they raced toward the roof of U.N.C.L.E. where the medical staff had waited to receive Napoleon and rush him to medical while the remaining agents took care of the threat on the roof.   As they examined Napoleon and began to attach the machines that would keep him alive, Illya knew the rose would give him the answer.

After hours of worry and work, the lab team came up with the poison and antidote.  Illya now sat next to his partner who was fighting for his life.

Suzanne and her brother were caught at the warehouse shooting at the helicopter and had been interrogated. She turned out to an assassin who believed Napoleon had been responsible for the death of her lover.  Her lover had been an innocent who was killed when the building he was held in was destroyed by Napoleon while eliminating a Thrush lab. U.N.C.L.E. had believed everyone had been removed, but the man had been locked in a cell in the basement.   It hadn’t mattered to her if the man’s death had been caused directly or indirectly by U.N.C.L.E. She held Napoleon responsible.

The poison’s effect would take a while to conquer and hopefully Napoleon would be willing to work at it. Napoleon knew what she had done and if he survived  he would have a broken heart to go along with his recovery. Suzanne had told them she told Napoleon that she was killing him slowly, including putting small amounts in his food, to cure her wounded heart at the loss of her lover.  She had set out to destroy his heart and hoped she did by telling him that every time he kissed her, held her, or made love to her that she had loathed it.

Feeling a hand on his, Illya picked his head off the bed where he had fallen asleep to see Napoleon looking at him.  The sadness in his eyes cut into Illya.

“Is she alive?” weakly croaked Napoleon.

Giving the American a sip of water, he answered.   “She is and admitted what she did.   Waverly is having her sent to our jail on Survival School Island.”

“I let my guard down.  Someone was waiting for us behind her apartment door and hit me over the head.  When I came to, I was chained up, and she had laid the rose on my face with the liquid dripping out of it into my mouth.  As the poison started to work, she revealed that she lied about everything she had said to me. I should have listened to you, Illya.”  Napoleon's voice was choked with emotion.

“Not even I found anything to indicate what she was,” Illya admitted.

“You felt it.”

Napoleon looked around the room to see it filled with flowers and gifts from the ladies of U.N.C.L.E. Illya knew how badly his partner was hurting, and not even the gifts around his room would help.

“Not much of a Valentine’s Day was it?”  Napoleon said.

“There will be others, and you will find more than enough women to help you make the day special,”   Illya assured him.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for a while.”  Napoleon turned his head and buried it into his pillow.

As Illya stood, he touched his partner’s shoulder.  “Call me if you need anything.”

Walking out the door, he looked back at Napoleon who with a hitch in his voice said “Thank you.  I just need time.”

Napoleon's heart was broken, but the Russian knew that he would recover with the help of those who held him close.

                                                                                                                       


End file.
